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We commit to leveraging our technology and innovation to support vulnerable communities in bolstering their climate resilience. Our commitment to collaboration and collective action: Few human rights challenges related to digital technologies can be addressed through one company, or even one industry acting alone, so partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaborations are at the heart of our efforts.

We were early signatories to the United Nations Global Compact, and we are a founding member of the Global Network Initiative GNI , a collaborative effort among ICT companies, civil society organizations, socially responsible investors, and academics.

We commit to the GNI Principles on freedom of expression and privacy rights. We recognize the threats to our democratic processes from cyber-enabled interference. The Microsoft Defending Democracy Program works with stakeholders including governments, non-governmental organizations, academics, and industry globally to protect political campaigns from hacking, increase transparency related to political advertising online, explore technological solutions to preserve and protect electoral processes, and defend against disinformation campaigns.

We also work with others in industry — while also consulting with civil society organizations, researchers, governments, and law enforcement agencies around the world — to combat the abuse of digital platforms. In alignment with our commitment to accessible technology products and services, we actively participate in the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs G3ict. Outside the technology sector, we are signatories of the Joint Labor Union and CEO Statement on the Paris Agreement , committing to a just transition of the workforce achieved through dialogue with workers and their unions.

We seek to empower the organizations who conduct climate-change research and uplift it. By engaging with companies across industries to share how we put our human rights commitments into action, we aspire to serve as a catalyst for action by others in the technology sector and beyond.

Our policies and practices on government demands: Our commitment to the rule of law carries with it the legal obligation to comply with applicable local law. When we face requests from governments to provide user data or remove content, we work to respect the human rights to privacy and freedom of expression by assessing whether the government requests are valid, legally binding, compliant with applicable law, and consistent with international law and international human rights norms.

For example, we are committed to a responsible approach to artificial intelligence AI by applying our AI principles to its development and use. We prioritize accessibility using our inclusive design principles to meet our commitment of creating and delivering technology that empowers people with disabilities. For the human right to privacy we apply our privacy principles to empower our customers to be in control of their data and offer a dedicated grievance mechanism for any concerns they may have.

We also leverage collective action to help prevent and address some of the potential harms of our products that many of us in the technology industry face. Our employees: We commit to respect the rights of our employees, including those outlined in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work: their freedom of association and right to collective bargaining, their rights not to be subject to forced labor, child labor or discrimination in regards to employment and occupation.

These policies are complemented by a full range of programs that support the well-being of our employees and their family members. Our suppliers: Decent work is essential for inclusive and sustainable livelihoods, and is foundational to a life of dignity. We strive to ensure that every person who makes our products is treated with respect and dignity. Microsoft expects its suppliers to comply fully with all employment laws, share its commitment to respect all human rights and to provide equal opportunity in the workplace, and take effective measures to remedy any adverse human rights impacts.

Microsoft has relationships with thousands of suppliers around the globe. To advance our responsible sourcing goals, we invest heavily in our supplier relationships and our human rights commitment extends to all our suppliers. We expect all suppliers who do business with Microsoft to uphold the human rights, labor, health and safety, environmental, and ethical practices prescribed in our Supplier Code of Conduct SCoc and for hardware suppliers, the Microsoft Supplier Social and Environmental Accountability Manual Suppliers SEA Manual.

Furthermore, the SCoC is our key tool for preventing modern slavery and human trafficking in our global supply chains, including respecting working hours, freedom of association and collective bargaining guidelines set forth by the ILO core conventions. We are committed to eliminating human trafficking and forced labor from our supply chain, including among our contingent workforce.

We understand that foreign migrant workers FMWs are especially vulnerable to the risk of forced labor, and we are committed to respect the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Our commitment to exclude human trafficking from our supply chain is embedded in our SCoC and responsible sourcing program protocols.

We acknowledge that addressing the most entrenched human rights problems in complex supply chains is a shared responsibility, often requiring industry-wide and multi-stakeholder approaches. We care deeply about the sustainability of our upstream supply chain.

Microsoft does not harvest or mine raw materials, but we do influence upstream harvesting and mining through our policies and practices. The RSRM policy extends our Supplier Code of Conduct to the furthest reaches of our upstream supply chain in support of human rights, labor, health and safety, environmental protection, and business ethics.

This policy covers all minerals and materials used in our Devices hardware and packaging supply chain, unbounded by geography. Our communities: Whether we reach communities through our operations or supply chain, or through applications of our technology, Microsoft recognizes we impact rightsholders. We consider our potential and actual human rights impacts on the communities we reach in our due diligence processes.

We also invest in specific opportunities to promote the rights of our local and global communities through humanitarian support and non-profit donations. Through Microsoft Nonprofits , we donate and discount productivity, platform and cloud technology products to empower nonprofit organizations throughout the world to drive greater impact for the communities they serve.

By offering our cloud services and software for free or significant discount to eligible nonprofits, we enable human rights organizations around the world to advance their missions. We partner with nonprofit organizations to provide digital skills resources and training to displaced peoples, empowering them with access to educational and economic opportunities. During humanitarian crises, we help impacted communities access technology and information when and where they need it most.

Learn more about our humanitarian action and how we work to help organizations increase preparedness and get ahead of the response curve while improving their ability to respond to future disasters. To help to fulfill our mission, Microsoft is committed to advancing a more inclusive and equitable world.

We are committed to closing the opportunity gap that many young people face today through our community investments, focused on skills for employability and affordable broadband access in underserved and underrepresented communities.

Through the Microsoft Employee Giving program our employees donate their time, talent, and money to the nonprofit organizations of their choice, with matching funds provided by the company. Employees, partners, suppliers, governments and customers share this responsibility to ensure that information and communications technology and our business activities respect and promote human rights.

The Regulatory and Public Policy Committee of the Microsoft Board of Directors oversees the company's key non-financial regulatory risks that may have a material impact on the company and its ability to sustain trust with customers, employees, and the public. This includes policies and programs that concern legal, regulatory, and compliance matters relating to competition and antitrust, privacy, trade, digital safety, artificial intelligence, and environmental sustainability, as well as significant issues relating to accessibility, human rights, and responsible sourcing.

Sustainable cities and communities. Responsible consumption and production. Climate action. Life below water. Life on land. Peace justice and strong institutions. Partnerships for the goals. Follow Microsoft. Microsoft takes a multistakeholder approach to addressing online content and digital safety issues, such as terrorism and online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Our work supports the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 16, while also aligning with the roadmap on digital cooperation. We believe companies that can do more, should. Learn about our commitments to ensure the technology we create benefits everyone on the planet, as well as the planet itself. Our work with the UN and international organizations Microsoft aims to deepen our support for the UN's mission and work by advancing global multistakeholder action on key technology, environmental, humanitarian, development, and security goals, as well as by helping advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals SDGs.

Our presence at the UN We believe digital transformation of the global economy can make a difference and help address the challenges underlying the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Engaging with the UN community How we're contributing to the multistakeholder initiatives necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Harnessing technology to achieve the SDGs Read about how Microsoft is contributing to each of the UN Sustainable Development Goals through the wide range of programs, partnerships, and initiatives we support.

Get the report Get the report. News and stories. Our interconnected world requires collective action John Frank explains why Microsoft is expanding its presence in New York and how it plans to engage with the UN going forward. Our commitment to human-centered connectivity and gender equity Read more about our commitment to human-centered connectivity and gender equity at the Generation Equality Forum GEF , a global gathering for gender equality convened by UN Women.

White papers. Closing the Digital Divide: A Human-Centered Approach to Connectivity Read more about our human-centered approach to connectivity and the digital divide. Digital Pathways: Presentation to the Africa Group of Ambassadors in Geneva Read more about how Microsoft and its partnerships support the "digital pathways" which offer opportunities for empowering people, businesses, governments, and societies across Africa to achieve their development goals.

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